The two instructors and occupants of a two-seat P2002-JF Tecnam trainer aircraft from the 360 Air Training Squadron from the Icons School have been hospitalized at 251 Aviation General Hospital since yesterday, as the aircraft crashed shortly before 11 a.m. at the airport at Tatoi, raising alarm at the Pentagon.

The aircraft was not carrying any Icarians, while the two instructors sustained several injuries, with one remaining intubated and his colleague reportedly undergoing back surgery yesterday.

According to reports, the accident was caused by a wing separation during alignment, which resulted in the training aircraft eventually ending up on the ground, with the Air Force General Staff now investigating the cause of the accident.

According to a statement from the CAA:

On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at 10:52 a.m., a P2002-JF Tecnam aircraft of the 360 Air Training Squadron from the Icons School, participating in a maintenance flight, during a scheduled exercise in the circle of Tatoi Airport, struck the ground outside the runway.

The crew of the aircraft was evacuated to the 251 General Aviation Hospital, where they are undergoing the necessary medical examinations.

The two scenarios

.
According to information cited by ERT on the causes of the incident, the main scenarios are two:

In the first case the aircraft was “booked” by the engine, meaning there was a sudden failure that caused the immediate loss of altitude

The second case is that the two pilots were performing an engine loss exercise and during the attempt to get it back on line, this was not possible.

11 accidents by early 2025

It should be noted that 11 accidents have occurred with this type of training aircraft alone since the beginning of 2025,most on European soil, and in several cases the same pattern of collapse of the front of the plane is observed, which is now a cause for concern due to its frequency.

It will be recalled that the P2002-JF is a two-seat, single-engine, helicopter, low-wing, fixed-wing aircraft with a fixed landing gear and is used for the selection training phase of the new Icons (IK I). It is of Italian manufacture, produced by Tecnam and was first put into production in 2002.

The Air Force, in replacement of the T-41D, in October 2018 procured the first P2002-JF aircraft and in June 2019, the last three (3), out of the twelve (12) total aircraft it currently has. The 12 P2002-JF trainer aircraft belong to the 360 Air Training Squadron, based at Dekelias Air Force Base, with the call sign “Thales”. They carry paint consisting of two grey (gray) shades, while the propeller cone, tip wings and part of the vertical tail fin are red.

• • Technical characteristics/performance of the P2002-JF

• • Crew: 2 (1 pilot and 1 passenger)
  • Engine: Bombardier Rotax 912 S2 four-cylinder piston engine
  • Maximum power: 98.5 hp at 5800 RPM
  • Wingspan: 8.6 metres

• Length: 6.61 metres
• Height: 2.43 metres
• Maximum speed: 142 knots (≈263 haw)
• Maximum flight altitude: 14000 feet/ 4260 meters above mean sea level
• Max. take-off weight: 620 kg
• Maximum baggage weight: 20 kg
• Average fuel consumption: 17 litres/hour
• Maximum fuel: 100 litres (99 litres used)
• Maximum range: 568 nautical miles (≈1052 km)